Escape
by kazoquel4
Summary: Companion to The Third Wheel. Leo falls into a depression and runs away, tired of being left out by his friends. When they come across him by chance years later, it will take all of them to convince him how much he means to them- but does Leo want to listen? Angst. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Leo sat at the canoe lake, knees pulled up to his chin. He stared out at the water, watching the smooth waves roll across the surface. Everything was so calm, so peaceful, reflecting the general mood of the camp.

Gaea had been defeated a few months ago, and nothing had gotten better for Leo. Yes, he was treated as a hero, but that didn't exactly do much for him. If anything, it had gotten worse. Annabeth and Percy were still recovering from their little trip to Tartarus, and spent all of their time together. Jason and Piper were getting steadily more serious as the time went on, and, as usual, didn't have time for their friend. And Hazel and Frank were in their own little world, just happy they had both survived.

And Leo was, as usual, pushed off to the side, forgotten. Everyone just assumed that now that the war was over, everything was fine with the son of Hephaestus, when, in fact, he felt more lost than ever before. He didn't understand. He had tried _so _hard to get someone's attention, to hint at the fact that everything was _not _alright with Leo, but no one noticed. Maybe they just chose not to. Leo was always there for everyone, to brighten every day, but lately he's been spending more and more time hiding in the forges. His skin had paled slightly with all the time he spent indoors tinkering and working on blueprints, and there were deep bags under his eyes. Apparently his symptoms included a type of sleep insomnia, because Leo hasn't been able to sleep for a few weeks.

He was just so _done. _His whole purpose was to help take down Gaea, and now that that was done… what did he have? Nothing. That's what. And no one even cares.

Leo held his hand in front of his face. A tiny flame burst to light, casting a strange light across his face. He watched the flames, mesmerized. He knew quite a few people at camp were scared of him because of his strange power over fire, and he understood why. Fire was destructive. It burned. But Leo found a strange beauty about it, the way the colors danced together in perfect rhythm.

Maybe he should just run away. It's not like anyone would notice anyways…. Leo's eyebrows furrowed, the flames reflected in his eyes, giving him a slightly crazed look. He turned the idea over and over in his mind. He wasn't normally one to run away, but the idea captivated him. He had always wanted to see the world. And it was quite obvious that most of the people in the camp would feel more comfortable once he was gone.

He had done his job. He had saved his friends. Maybe his next step was to get away and start anew.

"Valdez?"

Leo curled his fingers around the flame, crushing it. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Reyna standing there, looking down at him with narrowed eyes. She was dressed in a simple purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt and a pair of worn jeans. A sword was strapped to her side, and she was wearing her typical braid down her back. She was visiting Camp Half-Blood on Percy's request, to get to know some of the Greeks. Her visit did nothing to help Leo's situation. She still held a sort of animosity towards him, seeing as how he nearly destroyed her camp on his first visit. Even though she knew he had been possessed, she was still wary of him.

She frowned as she took in his slumped shoulders and tired eyes. "Are… are you alright?" she asked cautiously, unsure of what to say.

Leo forced an upbeat smile on his face. "I'm fine!" he said brightly. "Just taking a break."

Reyna crossed her arms. "A break from what?" she asked suspiciously.

Leo shrugged, turning back to the lake. "Plotting world domination," he said cheerfully, struggling to keep up the façade of happiness.

Reyna studied him. She didn't know him well, but even she could see that something was wrong with him. In the last week, she realized he had slowly been disappearing, almost deteriorating. Reyna was an expert at reading people, and Leo was quite obviously lying.

"You're lying," she accused, speaking her mind.

Leo scowled out at the water where she couldn't see. "No I'm not," he snapped at her, totally giving himself away.

Reyna shifted from one foot to the other. She may not like the boy, but something was seriously wrong with him. And he had done a great deed to Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood… even if he had shot at her camp.

Sighing, she sat down next to him- leaving a great distance between them, of course. She looked out at the lake, but shot looks at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked awkwardly.

Leo wiped his face of emotion, not looking at her. "Nothing is wrong," he said mechanically. "I already told you, so I'm not sure why you're sitting here."

Reyna frowned at him again, turning to stare at him. Slightly unnerved by her open stare, Leo turned to look at her, and their eyes met. Reyna seemed to be studying his very center, summing up what he was made of. Leo longed to look away, but found he couldn't. He couldn't break the stare-down she was giving him, not when her eyes looked so… worried?

"Come on, Valdez," she said quietly. "Confess."

Leo dragged his eyes away, looking down at his lap. He flicked his fingers, and little flames danced on top of them, calming him down slightly.

"I'm fine," he muttered, feeling slightly sick about lying to her. "Really."

Reyna stared at the fire. Feeling her gaze, Leo glanced up to see her eyes a little wider than usual.

"Sorry," Leo said quickly, extinguishing the flame. "That freaks some people out. I… sorry."

"No, no," Reyna said quickly, hating how defeated he sounded. "It's not that. It's… intimidating, yes, but also very… cool," she finished lamely, unsure of what to say.

Leo's lips twitched slightly. "Cool?" he asked, amusement tinting his voice.

Reyna shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips. "Very cool," she continued, playing along.

Leo smiled at her, a genuine, true smile, before it dropped off his lips. Frowning again, he rested his chin on his knees, going silent as dark thoughts swirled up in his mind again.

Reyna, unnerved by his sudden change of personality, looked down at the ground. She brushed away some of the dirt beneath her fingers, feeling a sudden awkward feel settle over the conversation.

Somewhere in the distance, a conch horn sounded. Reyna looked up, perking her ears.

"It's time for dinner," she said, glancing over at Leo.

Leo shook his head. "You go," he murmured. "I have something I… need to do."

Reyna hesitated before climbing to her feet. She had the worst feeling that Leo was going to do something really stupid. But there was nothing she could do. They didn't even _know _each other.

"Alright," Reyna said softly. "Well… I'll see you later."

Leo was silent, before he said so quietly Reyna could hardly hear, "See you later."

* * *

Reyna cornered Jason and Piper after dinner.

"What's wrong with Valdez?" she accused, glaring at them.

Piper blinked her kaleidoscope eyes. "What?" she asked, confused. A hint of worry touched her face. "Why? Did something happen?"

Reyna cocked an eyebrow. "Well, if I didn't know any better, I would say he's depressed. I found him sitting by the lake, looking as though he had the world on his shoulders. You're supposed to be his best friends. What's wrong with him?"

Jason frowned. "Nothing… at least, I don't think," he said, shooting a look at Piper. "He seemed fine when we last talked to him."

"When'd you last talk to him?" Reyna asked.

Jason hesitated, his eyebrows furrowing. "Well, I… hmm… I can't remember," he said, looking bewildered. "I'm sure it was this morning or something."

"What's this?" asked a voice behind them. They turned to see Percy and Annabeth walking up, their hands intertwined.

"Apparently Leo's depressed," Piper said softly, her eyebrows drawn in concern.

Percy stared. "Leo _Valdez_? Depressed? Are we talking about the same boy?"

Annabeth jabbed him in the ribs, and the son of Poseidon winced slightly, shooting her a sharp look.

"I have noticed him acting a little odd lately," Annabeth said thoughtfully. "I thought he was just disappointed over an invention or something, though."

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen him in a long time," Piper said, looking around at her friends. "What do you think is wrong with him?"

"Maybe we should, I don't know, ask him?" Percy added, poking his head into the conversation. "I'm sure he'll tell us."

"He wasn't at dinner," Annabeth noted.

"He'll be at his cabin," Jason said confidently. "Come on, let's go."

The group set off to the cabins, walking silently and quickly. When they reached the Hephaestus cabin, Jason jogged up the steps, knocking on the door.

There was no response.

"Leo?" Jason called out, knocking again. "Come on, man, open up, we want to talk to you."

When still no one answered, Jason put his hand on the doorknob, pushing. The door swung open, and, upon inspection, revealed a deserted cabin.

"He's not in here," Jason called back to his friends, worry for his friend starting to set in.

Piper hurried up the steps, pushing past him to get inside. She cast her eyes around the dim cabin, finally finding Leo's bunk.

"Oh, no," she murmured, walking over. All of Leo's things were gone. The bed was even made, something Leo _never _did.

"His stuff is gone!" Piper exclaimed, bursting back out of the cabin.

"Whose stuff is gone?" Hazel asked, walking over with Frank. She cast an eye around the group, taking in the confused and worried faces.

"_Whose stuff is gone_?" Frank pushed when no one answered.

"Leo's," Reyna spoke up, her face completely controlled. Inside, her emotions were everywhere. She _knew _something had been wrong.

"Come on," Percy said, backing up. "We need to look for him. Leo!" he shouted, turning around and quickly hurrying away to search at the training arena.

They all split up and searched. And searched. And searched. A few hours later, they were all positive Leo was nowhere in the camp.

"He's gone!" Hazel cried, looking close to tears. "What if something's taken him?"

"No," Reyna said shortly. "I was talking to him just before dinner. I told you, something was wrong. And there was no sign of a struggle; it looked as though he had taken his time to do a thorough job of packing."

"Packing?" Frank asked, frowning. "Why would he pack?"

"Because," Annabeth said quietly. "Leo ran away."

* * *

**A/N: I'm lying in bed sick and had a need to write more angst. And this popped out. It won't be a super-long complicated story, but it'll be a couple of chapters. We'll see where this goes… I hoped it wasn't too out of character!**

**Thanks for the reviews and the encouragement, and I hope this doesn't disappoint. Please review!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	2. Chapter 2

~Five Years Later~

Five years had passed since the demigods had seen Leo. Five years since Reyna had first suspected something was wrong. And five years since he had run away, leaving his friends frantic behind him.

They had searched for nearly a year straight, both the camps banding together to look for him. Jason had even managed to get his sister to put the Hunters on the job for a while, though they were reluctant to be searching for a boy. But the fact of the matter was that Leo didn't _want _to be found.

Once in a while there had been the odd sighting of him. A Hunter would report to seeing a curly-haired Latino in the crowded streets of New York, and a camper once even swore she had seen him on her summer trip to Paris. But when Leo had left, he had been determined to disappear off the face of the Earth and, unfortunately, he seemed to be rather good at it. The gods weren't much of a help, either; when what was left of the Seven had boldly confronted them to try and get their help, Hephaestus had simply looked at them sadly.

"That isn't our choice to make," is all he had said.

Eventually, the Hunters had dropped the case, although Thalia still kept a vigilant eye out for him. The camps returned to their schedules. Even his friends had been forced to stop searching all the time, seeing as they had duties to do and lives to live. But all of them took a month off every year to scout the world for him as a team, but it had turned more into a reunion for them instead of a cold, hard search party. They understood now that the chances of finding Leo when he didn't want them to were next to nothing, and it was hitting them all hard.

Jason and Piper blamed themselves, believing it to be their fault. They were supposed to be his best friends, and he was so unhappy that he was forced to run away? They didn't know his motives exactly, or what had been bothering him, but they were sure it had something to do with them.

Even Reyna felt the loss of the boy. Yes, she had mistrusted him the entire time they had known each other, but there had been those ten minutes before he had run away, their last discussion. He had seemed so lost, so heartbroken, that Reyna didn't know what to do. But he had been honest with his emotions, and she had realized that maybe it was wrong of her to judge him so fast. All she really wanted was for him to stop being an idiot and come back, because everyone was worried sick about him.

Jason, Piper, Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, and Reyna had just completed their yearly search for him. They were gathered in a small restaurant in New York, depressingly sipping their coffees and picking at pastries. While they had pretty much given up hope of finding him, there was always that spark of faith that this time, _this time, _they would find him.

And, of course, each time they were forced to suffer the crushing disappointment.

Annabeth was staring into her steaming coffee, one hand tight around Percy's. The son of Poseidon was only half-awake, his head propped up by his hand. Jason and Piper sat close to each other, whispering and looking miserable, and Hazel and Frank were scribbling something down on a piece of paper. Reyna was left in the last empty chair, arms tightly folded across her chest as she stared at the table. From the other side of the room, loud yells and laughter resonated from the bar as a football game blared over the television.

Hazel suddenly looked up, breaking the silence.

"How are wedding preparations coming?" she asked Annabeth quietly, setting her paper down.

Annabeth smiled at her, looking a bit frazzled. Strands of curly blond hair escaped her bun, making her look more tired than she really was. "Alright," she said. "It's a bit hard to juggle everything, what with me working all the time and Percy traveling so much…"

Percy stirred from his half-sleep. "I told you I can take some time off," he said, blinking at his fiancée. "I can't exactly be fired; I kind of own the company…"

"I know, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth sighed. "But I've got it handled, don't worry." When Percy still looked worried, she smiled, leaning over to peck him on the lips. "You're cute when you're worried," she murmured. Percy grinned at her.

Hazel watched the two with soft eyes, before her gaze brightened. She turned to Jason and Piper, a mischievous grin on her face. "And when are you two making it official?" she teased.

A bright blush spread across both their faces. Jason cleared his throat awkwardly. "We're waiting until Piper's out of school," he said hurriedly. "There's no need to rush it."

"Yeah," Piper murmured, her cheeks red.

Percy smirked. He loved that they could still manage to annoy those two, even after all these years; they were all still practically teenagers. He grabbed Annabeth's coffee from in front of her. "You could always just elope," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

Piper flushed. "Shut _up_, Percy!"

Percy laughed, taking a sip of Annabeth's drink. Immediately, his expression soured, and he spit it out. "Oh, yuck!" he said, holding the cup up and squinting at it. "What is this stuff?"

"Coffee," Annabeth said, snatching it back.

"But what's wrong with it?" Percy persisted, face screwed up from the bitter drink.

"It's not my fault you always pour pounds of sugar and creamer in it," Annabeth reminded him. "I don't like all that stuff; for me, straight coffee is enough."

Percy shook his head mockingly, looking towards the sky. "And I'm marrying you because…?"

Annabeth laughed, punching his shoulder. "You're an idiot," she said, shaking her head.

Frank spoke up then, seeing how Reyna was excluding herself from the conversation. "You alright, Reyna?" he asked her.

Reyna shrugged as all eyes fell on her. Even at twenty-one, she still insisted on wearing her hair back in a braid, and she had a very regal look with the way she sat. She had given up praetor-ship at the age of nineteen to attend college, and was still hard at work- and strictly single. She felt out-of-place here with all this talk of marriage and dating.

"I'm fine," she said shortly.

"Schoolwork okay?" Annabeth asked, watching her closely.

Reyna smiled slightly. "Yes, Annabeth, my schoolwork is fine," she said.

The conversation reached an awkward stand-still. Everyone was waiting for someone to say something, but none of them wanted to come face-to-face with the elephant in the room.

Finally, Jason sighed. "We didn't find him," he said flatly.

Percy sighed, picking at a piece of peeling paint on the table. Hazel and Frank exchanged meaningful looks, and Reyna tensed, pursing her lips slightly and not meeting anyone's eyes.

Piper sniffled slightly. "We're never going to find him," she muttered, dropping her head into her hands.

Jason laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. He looked around at his defeated friends, and offered them a smile. "Hey, cheer up," he said lightly. "Leo can't hide forever, can he? He needs to come out eventually…"

"It's been five years," Reyna said dryly. "If he was going to 'come out', don't you think he would have done it by now? He doesn't want us to find him!"

Hazel traced the rim of her iced coffee. "I just wish we knew why," she said quietly. "I mean, obviously Leo was our friend. We cared about him. Why would he run away?"

Reyna let out an irritated noise. "We've been over this!" she said sharply. "_You _guys were on the Argo II with him. What happened on there?"

"Nothing!" Jason exclaimed, shooting her a glare. "Absolutely nothing happened! We go over this every year. He was in the engine room most of the time, checking over the machines."

"I still find that weird," Reyna commented. "I mean, he was- _is _a genius with tools. He wouldn't _need _to be with his engines every second of the day."

"Then why was he?" Annabeth asked, frowning.

Frank shrugged. "I was with Hazel," he said, shooting a look at his girlfriend.

"Annabeth and I were going over strategies almost the entire trip," Percy piped up. Frank snorted.

"Strategies," he muttered doubtfully. He was ignored.

All eyes turned to Jason and Piper. They looked at each other, worried. "We were… together," Piper said quietly.

"You and Leo?" Hazel asked.

Piper shook her head. "Me and _Jason._"

There was a silence. They had thought over this a couple times before, and each time had come to the same conclusion. Reyna pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "You guys didn't even talk to him on that blasted ship, did you," she said flatly.

"We did!" Annabeth defended.

"But not a lot," Reyna pointed out.

Piper groaned. "This is all our fault!" she said sadly. "We should have known something was wrong with Leo!"

"Come on, Pipes," Percy sighed. "It's no use having that attitude. Why don't we get out of here; you can come back to our apartment to relax before we head our separate ways. I'll pay," he added, reaching into his pocket for his wallet.

Jason immediately protested. "No, Perce, it's okay, I'll-" he started.

"I insist," Percy said gently but firmly. "It's one time, man, it's not going to bankrupt me."

Jason sat back in his chair reluctantly, smiling gratefully. "Thanks. But next time I'm-"

He was interrupted as the entire bar burst into a mix of cheers and boos. The football game had ended, and a quite a bit of money was exchanging hands. Men were calling to their friends, holding out their hands expectantly, beers waiting for them back at their seats.

Piper glared at them. "Honestly, men have no manners," she muttered under her breath.

Percy pouted. "Hey, that's not fair," he said, holding up his wallet in protest. "I'm paying!"

"Hoowee!" shouted one tough-looking man, hopping off his stool. "Cough it up, Valdez, cough it up!"

The entire group felt an electric shock run through them at the name. Reyna took a sharp intake of breath, whirling around in her seat. Percy dropped his wallet, squinting over at the bar as Annabeth clutched his arm.

They watched the man who had shouted approaching another man. All they could see was a head of curly hair, hair they hadn't thought twice about. But when he spun around…

Piper let out a gasp, whacking Jason's arm with her mouth open, looking like a gaping fish. Hazel let out a small squeak, half getting out of her seat.

Leo Valdez sat at the bar, looking at the man with a sour expression. The guy held out his hand, smirking. "Come on, Valdez," he said. "Pay up. You lost fair and square."

Looking disgruntled, Leo fished for money in his pocket. "That was the referee's doing," he said, just loud enough for his friends to hear from across the room. "That wasn't a fair game, that last call was bogus."

"Still a fair bet!" the man said, guffawing. "Nice try, Valdez, but you'll need a bit more experience betting before you can take me. Care for a beer? It's on me." He waved his newfound money in front of Leo's face.

Leo batted his hand away. "Nah, I'm good, Blake," he said, rolling his eyes. "I had one too many already."

Blake grinned at him. "See ya next Friday!" he called, heading back to his seat.

Leo watched him go, frowning slightly. Reyna stared at him, shocked; he looked so much older than the last time she had seen him, yet still the same. Clad in a black leather jacket and jeans, his hair was as wild as ever. He still had an almost elfish curve to his features, but a deep frown was plastered across his face. Sighing, he turned back to the bar, glancing back up at the television where an interview was airing with the star of the game.

"It's Leo," Hazel whispered, sounding near tears. Her eyes were wide, staring at the boy they had been searching for. Jason looked as though the world had been pulled out from underneath him, and was just sitting there, completely shocked.

Percy stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. "I'll get him," he said shortly, starting towards the bar.

"Percy!" Annabeth hissed, but her fiancée was already halfway there. Glancing over at the rest of her friends, she stood up as well, getting ready for whatever might happen next.

Percy marched over until he stood right behind Leo. Squaring his shoulders, he took a deep breath and tapped his old friend on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me what the score was?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Leo dragged his eyes away from the television, turning around. "Yeah, sure. The 49'ers-" he froze as he locked eyes with Percy, who was watching him with narrowed eyes. Blinking, Leo slowly looked over Percy's shoulder, where the rest of the group was watching with bated breath. Leo's wide eyes flicked back to Percy. "Er- the 49'ers scored- bye!"

Leo darted off the stool before Percy could react, slipping under his outstretched arm. Sprinting around the perimeter of the restaurant, he ran towards the open door, trying to escape. Jason leaped to his feet, but he knew he was too far away to catch him from this far.

"Leo Valdez, freeze where you are!" Piper shouted, her voice cutting through the noise.

Leo stopped moving. He froze in place, still poised in a running position. The other customers watched in amazement as the seven young adults made their way over to the apparently frozen boy, standing on one leg like a statue. Shaking their heads, the majority of them went back to their food, deciding it was just young people messing around.

The group surrounded Leo, who was glaring at them all. "Piper, let me go!" he snapped at her.

"No!" Piper said, eyes wide. She stood right in front of him, swallowing thickly. "Leo…" she said hoarsely.

Leo struggled against his invisible bonds, trying to move, but was unable to. "Stupid charm-speak," he muttered under his breath, finally giving up.

Piper clenched her fists, shaking slightly. "Where have you BEEN, Leo?" she shouted at him, leaning right up in his face. "Do you have any idea how worried we've been?!"

"Er, Piper-" Leo said, eyes darting over to the bar where several men were looking over. "I wouldn't-"

"We've been searching for FIVE FREAKING YEARS, LEO! And where have you been? A ruddy bar!" She poked him sharply in the chest, heat rising in her face.

"_Piper,_" Leo pleaded.

"And another thing-"

"Something wrong, Valdez?"

Blake stood right there, holding his beer in one hand. He examined the situation closely, frowning. "They botherin' you?" he asked slowly, narrowing his eyes at Percy, Jason, and Frank, who were nonchalantly sidling in front of the girls.

"No, no," Leo said quickly. "I just- Piper, come on-"

"You can move," Piper muttered reluctantly, crossing her arms sharply.

Leo stumbled slightly, coming back to life. He straightened up, brushing himself off. "I'm fine, Blake," he said, waving the bewildered looking man away. "Thanks, though. I… er, might not be here next Friday."

Blake furrowed his thick eyebrows. "Alright, Valdez… if you're sure…"

"I am," Leo said, shooting him a quick grin. For a moment, the old Leo shone through, and his eyes sparkled. "Although next time I'm here, bring your money. You're going down."

Blake chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, kid," he said, turning around. "Whatever you say."

As soon as Blake was gone, Leo rounded on the group, expression blank again. Piper launched herself at him, forgetting how mad she was for a moment.

"Leo!" she cried, throwing her arms around his shoulders and squeezing. "Oh, I thought we were never going to find you… you've been gone so long… I've been so _worried…_"

Leo looked slightly frightened as he awkwardly patted Piper on the back. "Um… there, there, Piper…" he mumbled, blinking.

After a few moments Piper pulled back, wiping her eyes slightly. Jason took her place, wrapping his very surprised old friend in a hug. "You're an idiot," was all he could mutter.

Shaking his head, Leo pulled away from him. He stepped back, eyeing the group with wary and cautious eyes. "Hold up," he said suspiciously. "How'd you find me?"

"Well," Percy explained, "we stopped here on our way back to my apartment, and heard that guy shout your name-"

"Stupid Blake," Leo muttered crossly.

"-and then… yeah," Percy finished lamely, not sure of what to say. He glanced back at Annabeth, who looked ready to start firing questions.

"The better question is, how did _you _hide from us all these years?" Annabeth asked, frowning at Leo slightly. "We've been searching for you for ages, and we couldn't find you. How did you _do _it?"

Leo sighed. "It's a long story," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We've got time," Frank said shortly.

"And you're going to explain," Reyna said coldly.

Leo blinked, seeing her for the first time. He faltered. "_Reyna?"_

Reyna just narrowed her eyes at him. "Later, Valdez," she said shortly.

Leo looked uncertain, but nodded reluctantly. He shoved his hands deep in the pockets of his jacket. "So I guess I have to go with you," he said quietly, kicking at the ground and not meeting any of their eyes.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah. Come on; Percy and I share an apartment only a block from here. We can be there in three minutes." She narrowed her eyes, stepping up close and forcing Leo to look at her. "And I swear," she hissed, "if you try to make a break for it, the only thing broken will be your leg."

Leo's eyes widened slightly. "Um… right…" he said hesitantly.

Annabeth stepped back, grinning cheerfully. "Come on!" she said, grabbing Percy's hand and leaving a rather stunned Leo standing there. "This way."

She dragged Percy off. Her fiancée shot a look over his shoulder, a look saying, 'I don't know, either'.

Reyna brushed past Leo on her way out the door. "Come on, Repair Boy. You have a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

**A/N: Well, here it is. I don't know how strong this is, but I wasn't sure how to do it. Next chapter will be Leo's point of view, so we get more angst, which I'll honestly feel a bit better with, haha. Thanks for the reviews; it would mean a lot if you left me one now! Even if this disappointed you, there has to be ****_something _****good about it…**

**And if you're wondering how Leo stayed hidden and blah-blah-blah, don't worry. I'll explain next chapter.**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of its characters.**

It was a silent, tense walk back to Percy and Annabeth's apartment. Leo trailed along behind everyone, his expression undecipherable. He was being watched very closely by the rest of the group, and it had seemingly dawned on him that if he made a break for it, he would most likely end up in the hospital. So he decided the best course of action would be to just go with them.

Annabeth walked ahead of the group, steering them down the streets and to a nice, cozy apartment building. Inside, she hurried up three flights of stairs and down a short hall, walking as fast as she could without completely losing the parade of people behind her. With her fast, clipped pace, they managed to reach the apartment in two minutes.

Throwing open door 5D, she led the way inside the small apartment. The walls were painted a cool, light blue, and various seashells and dried sea stars lay strewn on the tables. As everyone filed in, Leo glanced around, eyebrows raised coolly.

"I'm guessing Percy decorated," he commented.

Annabeth shot him a look. "_Sit down, Leo_," is all she said.

Leo raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright," he muttered. "No need to blow a gasket…"

Aware that all eyes were on him and trying to ignore it, Leo dropped into one of the armchairs in the living room. Everyone else cautiously sat down in the remaining seats or on the sofa; only Reyna remained standing, arms crossed as she narrowed her eyes at the Latino sitting in the chair.

An awkward silence permeated the room. Leo, ever the hyperactive one, was incessantly tapping his foot, his eyes darting around the room and looking at anything but his friends.

"Well, let's not beat around the bush," Piper spoke up. "Where the Hades have you been, Leo?"

Leo leaned back in his chair, picking at a stray string. Shrugging, he answered, "I dunno. Around."

"That isn't a good enough answer," Jason said sharply. "We've been looking all over for you for _five years. _How could you have hidden so well?"

Leo glanced over at him with an almost surprised look. "I would have thought the answer was obvious," he said, blinking. "I hid with my dad."

Reyna pursed her lips, throwing an irritated look at the ground. The others were taken aback.

"But… we asked him," Hazel said, eyebrows furrowed.

"And what did he say?" Leo asked curiously.

"'That isn't our choice to make'," Annabeth quoted, frowning. She slapped a hand to her forehead. "_Di Immortales, _it was right there! Obviously Leo was with him, and he couldn't tell us…"

"You hid with your father for five years?" Percy asked doubtfully.

Leo shook his head. "Only for the first year and half or so," he said, "until the search parties started dying down. I knew everyone would be looking for the Hero of the Prophecy for a while, but that you guys would give up eventually."

Jason and Piper exchanged worried looks. Reyna was peering at Leo as if she was looking at him in a new light, and Hazel was watching him in concern. The son of Hephaestus seemed to notice none of this, however, as he went on with his story.

"It wasn't that bad," he said casually. "I definitely learned a lot in the forges, and my dad doesn't make the worst company. We've got a lot in common."

Percy and Annabeth exchanged raised eyebrows, having met the god before.

"What about the rest of the time?" Frank asked. "There were still people looking for you, and there was barely a trace of you anywhere."

Leo smirked, but his eyes lacked the twinkle his friends remembered from their youth. "That was just my skills," he said proudly. "I've had a lot of expert at being invisible. It's been really neat, traveling around the world, but I think I got spotted by a Huntress a while back…" he frowned slightly. "Yeah, that wasn't so great."

"You mean you've managed to hide from us for four years just by wandering around the world?" Piper asked in disbelief.

"Man, we _suck _at Hide and Seek," Percy said, pouting in disappointment.

"But why'd you _leave_?" Jason spoke up. "You just… disappeared. Why?"

Leo stared at him. "You mean you haven't figured it out?" When all he received were blank expressions, he let out a bitter laugh, rolling his eyes. "So I was right," he muttered.

"Right about what?" Hazel asked, cocking her head as she tried to figure it out.

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Leo asked, anger blazing in his eyes.

"You were alone," Reyna blurted out.

The room went silent. Leo slowly turned to look at Reyna, eyes narrowed, silently urging her to continue. The others were staring at Reyna with confused expressions.

"What do you mean, alone?" Piper asked. "He wasn't alone!"

"But he felt like it," Reyna said, suddenly sure of it, positive without a shadow of a doubt that what she was saying was true. "He felt like the third wheel, like a second thought for all of you guys. You didn't treat him as though he was really important to you."

Piper rolled her eyes. "That's ridiculous, we-"

"Is it?" Reyna shot at her. "The day he left, I asked you when the last time you spoke with him was. What'd you say?"

Piper opened her mouth to shoot her a scathing response, but Jason spoke first. "We didn't know," he muttered before Piper could say anything else.

"Exactly," Reyna said. She glanced over at Leo, who was staring at the floor with a deep scowl. "None of you noticed how alone he felt, and I'm guessing that's what made him run away."

There was a silence as everyone digested what Reyna had said. Leo, suddenly aware Reyna had finished, stirred, glancing up at them all with a blank expression.

"So do you finally get it?" he said sarcastically.

Hazel looked as though she were going to cry. "Leo-"

"I _knew_ I was right," Leo said, shaking his head. "None of you even cared enough about me to realize what made me run away. What did you think- was I marked a coward?"

"Of course n-" Annabeth started.

"All of you were too busy with each other to pay any mind to me!" Leo said, raising his voice. "The only thing I was good for was that stupid prophecy! I make the Argo II, you guys do the rest of the fighting and get all the glory! But that wasn't what bothered me, I was fine without recognition. What _bothered _me was how none of you even acknowledged my existence except for when you needed to scold me for messing up or needed my help for something! _Never _did you really want my company, never! And so I finally decided to make it easier on everyone and just leave, so you wouldn't have to _bear _my company!"

He was breathing heavily, and looked as though he'd gotten something off his chest. He turned his face away from the others, not meeting any of their eyes.

Piper swallowed thickly. "Leo Valdez, you know that isn't true," she said in a low voice. "You're our friend- our _best _friend- we've always cared about you! Okay, so maybe we were a little busy-"

Leo chuckled darkly, momentarily silencing Piper. "A little busy," he repeated. "_A little busy._"

"Leo-" Percy tried to say.

"You were NOT a _little busy_!" Leo suddenly shouted, rounding on them. The demigods were shocked to find his eyes so full of anger; his hair was smoking slightly, threatening to catch fire. "I would have understood if you were a little busy! Even on that blasted ship when we had absolutely nothing to do, you _still _pretended I didn't exist!"

His voice cracked on the last word. Jason's mouth had fallen open, and he was staring at Leo, completely shocked.

"But… you seemed so _cheerful_," he said in an almost-whisper.

Leo flexed his fingers as if imagining them on fire. "I was trying to throw you guys off of what I was really feeling," he said quietly. "And it worked, didn't it? Almost too easily…"

Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the floor, shoulders slumping. "I'm the outsider," he said quietly, sounding completely defeated. "Always have, always will be. I've come to terms with the fact you guys don't need me."

"Leo, please, don't say that," Piper pleaded, trying to reach over and take his hand, but Leo jerked it away from her.

"No," he said, getting to his feet. "I should go. I don't belong here. Sorry for wasting your time; you can stop searching for me now."

"Leo Valdez-!" Annabeth said loudly, trying to stop him, but Leo had already turned around and run out of the apartment.

Cursing under his breath, Jason sprung to his feet and sprinted for the door. Practically flying out of the apartment, he ran after his friend, leaving the others to listen to his footsteps die away as they hoped for the best.

Piper dropped her head into her hands, repeatedly murmuring, "What have we done? Oh, gods, Leo…"

Percy leaned back on the sofa, dipping his head back and squeezing his eyes shut. In the general calm, Reyna sat down on the barstool, leaning her chin on her fist and frowning down at the linoleum countertop.

Hazel was sniffling, looking completely horrified. "I didn't know he felt that way… he was so… so…"

"I know, Hazel," Frank murmured, gently touching her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

A few minutes later, footsteps were heard in the hallway. Jason burst back into the apartment, breathing heavily, his face red. He looked around at all the hopeful faces surrounding him before saying, "I lost him."

Percy dropped his head back again. Hazel sat down on the couch, staring straight ahead. Jason didn't meet anyone's eyes as he leaned against the wall, glaring darkly at the floor.

"It's all my fault," he muttered.

"Don't say that, Jason," Piper said immediately. "The fault is shared between all of us."

"I was supposed to be his best friend!" Jason said, glowering at her.

"So was I!" Piper exclaimed, glaring back at him.

Jason held his sharp look for another moment before his face fell. "It doesn't even matter," he murmured dejectedly. "We'll never find him."

Reyna looked up, eyebrows raised. "Who's to say that?"

Jason gave her a strange look. "Reyna, he's been hiding for five years. Do you really think we'll be able to find him again?"

Reyna got to her feet. "Of course, if you know where to look," she said shortly, walking into the kitchen.

"Don't touch my fridge!" Percy called out to her.

"Shut up, Percy," Reyna called back. There was the sound of cupboards opening before she walked back out, carrying a spray bottle full of water.

"What're you doing?" Frank asked, watching curiously as she walked over to the window and positioned the spray bottle just so.

"What do you think I'm doing?" she said, spraying a light mist over the light. To her relief, a rainbow formed, light and airy and just barely there- but it would be enough. "A trick I've picked up from the Greeks."

"But we've tried that dozens of times," Annabeth said, scrambling off the couch. "It's just like when Percy was missing; no connection."

"Yes, but we didn't have a location then," Reyna pointed out, fishing in her pockets for a Drachma. Not finding one, she frowned, glancing around. "Does anyone have a Drachma?"

"Here," Percy said, opening a drawer and pulling one out. Tossing it to her, he said, "But we don't know where he is right now."

"But we know a loose location," she pointed out, snatching the golden coin out of the air easily. "And I'm guessing Hephaestus was doing something to block the connection. I'll bet he's let up now."

"Why?" Hazel asked.

"Because it's time for Leo to be found," Reyna said, tossing the Drachma into the mist. As it disappeared, she said "O goddess, accept my offering- show me Leo Valdez, New York City."

Everyone watched with hope-filled expressions as an image slowly swam in front of them. Reyna smirked victoriously as the form of Leo Valdez swam into view. The boy was stalking along the street, head ducked low. He didn't notice the Iris Message, so intent was he to get to his destination. They watched as he hurried up the steps of an apartment building, walking inside.

The message went blank for a minute before the picture swam back into view. Leo was inside the building now, hurrying down rows of doors before stopping at one. He fished in his pockets, pulled out a key, and opened the door, stalking inside. He slammed the door shut behind him.

Reyna sliced through the message with her hand, whirling around. "Apartment 1E," she muttered. "I'll go get him."

"What makes you think he'll talk to you?" Piper called after her as the retired praetor reached the front door.

"Trust me, he'll talk to me," Reyna called over her shoulder. "Even if I have to tie him to a chair."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait… I didn't know how to write this one. Still not entirely pleased, but at least I have something up. **

**There will only be another… two chapters, maybe three, I'm not sure.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, and thanks for reading! I'll try and update soon.**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	4. Chapter 4

Leo slammed the door to the apartment shut, feeling the door shake the frame. He stalked into his small living room, his breath coming out heavy and strained. Sweeping his eyes across the tiny room, he ran his hand through his hair irritably, taking a deep breath.

In a moment of general fury, he lashed out at his coffee table, kicking the scuffed wood with all his might. That proved to be poorly thought out when Leo roared in pain, grabbing his foot with his hands and hopping on one leg to stay upright. His foot flared with pain, and he clenched his teeth to avoid crying out from the stress of it all.

He was shaking, and it was all he could to stay on one leg. So, limping, he made his way over to the old couch that rested against the wall and collapsed back, kicking his foot up to rest on the fraying cushions.

He could hardly believe the events of the day. What had started out as an ordinary jaunt to the nearby bar had resulted in him facing his past- a past he had been running from for the past few years. Of all the restaurants in New York to eat at- hundreds, in fact- they had chosen to eat _there. _The place Leo just happened to be. He didn't know if this was all just one big, cruel jokes the Fates were playing with him, or if Leo just had the worst luck ever known to a demigod.

He brought his hands to his face, squeezing his eyes shut. Leo was an expert in running, leaving everyone and everything he knew for a new start. He had done it all his life, never staying in one place too long, never lingering to make attachments. Because he knew nothing lasted forever, especially things like relationships and friendships. So by the time his relationship with anyone went sour, the other party found that the curly haired boy had disappeared, never to be seen again. Leo was a master at disappearing without a trace, leaving no sign he had ever been, ever even existed. It was just Leo's way, something he had learned early on and never forgotten: To run so hard and far, it wasn't possible for the pain and sadness to catch up with him.

But it had caught up to him today. For most of his life, Leo had prided himself on never growing too close, too dependent on people. They could be gone in the blink of an eye. And he hadn't expected anything special with Piper and Jason when he had first met them at the Wilderness School. They were great, yes, but it was obvious it wasn't going to last. That was just the way things worked with Leo, no matter who it was.

However, when he had discovered he was a demigod, he suddenly found himself thrust into decisions of life and death. Loyalties tested, Leo was forced to grow closer and closer to a number of people. He was growing too comfortable, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. For the first time, Leo had siblings (whole hoards of them, actually) and people who actually seemed to care about him.

It was only a matter of time until he learned that was not the case. They may _think _they care about him, but Leo knew it was only a passing phase. If he were to, say, go missing, sure, they might be upset for a while. But they would get over him. They were too busy with other people, people more important than Leo, to take any more notice than they had to of the curly haired Latino. Leo fell into the background, nothing but a shadow flitting around, struggling to make his plea heard to anyone.

It went unanswered. Faced with the dilemma of uselessness and the feeling of being unwanted, Leo was dismayed to find he had done the one thing he had told himself to never do. He had grown attached to these people, these demigods who, for a time, might have cared about him. They had moved on from him, but he hadn't. So, he did the only thing he could, the only thing he knew how.

He ran.

But it wasn't as easy this time. Now he had left behind people he cared for, and he had had to deal with that every day. Plainly put, he missed them. But he wasn't going to force his company on them; if he truly cared about them, he wouldn't do something like that- purposefully put them into awkward and annoying situations.

No, it was in the best interests of everyone that he had left.

He dipped his head back, shutting his eyes. He would have to get out of New York as soon as he could, now that they knew where he was. He wouldn't put it past them to continue searching for him; they had always felt obligated to look out for his well-being because he was one of the Seven. Maybe he'd go back to Paris. That had been a cool city. And he hadn't stayed long in Africa, maybe he should go there…

He was pulled out of his musings by a knock on the door. His eyes opened, and he glanced behind him to glare at the door. Solicitors showed up all the time, _especially _those blasted Girl Scouts. All the local scouts knew he was an easy catch, but, seriously- who could say no when those evil little girls are batting their eyelashes and pouting?

But he wasn't in the mood today. Taking a deep breath, he stood up, wincing slightly as pain shot through his foot. He'd knocked it pretty good on the wood. Nevertheless, he forced himself to put as much weight as he could on it, ignoring the throbbing that started in his toes as he made his way to the door.

Yanking it open, he glared at the person outside. "Look, I don't want to buy any-" he snarled.

Then, he froze. Instead of a ten year old girl standing on his doorstep, a very grown up woman was leaning against the door frames. Her eyebrows were raised as she took in the sight of Leo blinking in surprise at her. He obviously hadn't been expecting her.

"Pity," Reyna said casually. "We're having a two-for-one sale."

Leo went to slam the door shut, but Reyna pushed her way inside. "Don't even try it, Valdez," she said, strolling into the tiny apartment. "I had to trek all the way from Percy and Annabeth's apartment to get here, and I am not in the mood to deal with your newfound attitude." She glanced around the room, appraising it silently. "Nice place," she said.

"How did you find me?" Leo asked suspiciously, ignoring her attempt at conversation. He walked lightly on his feet, trying not to limp.

Reyna just smirked at him. "It's this magical little thing called an 'Iris Message'. You were too focused on running away to notice we had called you."

Leo scowled. "I was _not _running-"

"Yes, you were!" Reyna said shortly. She narrowed her eyes at him. "That's all you ever do, Valdez. Run. When the going gets tough, what do you do? Take the cowardly way out, and run."

Leo clenched his fists, his face getting hot. "Don't call me a coward," he warned in a low voice.

"I can and I will," Reyna said simply. "You, Leo Valdez, are a _coward. _Taking off for five years just because you were being ignored a bit? You could have been killed, Leo! You are a demigod, which means you are a permanent member of every monster's wanted list. And do I even have to _mention_ how worried you've made everyone? Piper and Jason and Hazel- they've been out of their minds with worry ever since you left, because none of us had any idea what happened to you!"

"What happened to me?" Leo asked, his voice raising. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Reyna! I wasn't _wanted _anymore, they didn't care about me, so I left!" He shook his head bitterly. "You wouldn't understand," he muttered.

Reyna jutted her jaw out stubbornly. "I wouldn't understand, huh?" she asked. "What do you think my life is like?"

Leo frowned at her. "What do you-"

"Jason was _my _best friend for years," Reyna interrupted. "I thought we had something. And then he disappears for nearly a year, and I'm a wreck trying to hold the camp together on my own and keep Octavian in line and throughout out it all I'm _worrying _about him, and he shows up with a whole new set of friends and a brand-spanking new girlfriend! Oh, but I can't do anything about it. I can't show any emotion, any breach in protocol, because I'm Reyna, Praetor of New Rome. I was the one who had to be strong. People were supposed to respect me, not be my friend. That was the rules. You aren't respected when you're friends with every one, so I wasn't! I was alone, and you know what? I stayed where I was, kept my head up. I didn't run!"

Leo was silent. They locked eyes, each simmering with emotion. Reyna looked slightly surprised at herself for giving away so much, so many secrets, while Leo was surprised for a completely different reason.

Leo looked down at the ground. "You're wrong," he muttered, scuffing at the floor.

Reyna's eyes flared. "How am-"

"Jason respects you," Leo said abruptly, looking up to meet her gaze. "Piper respects you. Frank, Hazel, Percy, Annabeth- they all respect you. And they're your friends as well. You can hold respect for someone and have a friendship at the same time. Friendship is based on respect. Mutual respect of the others feelings, wishes, actions." He hesitated. "I respect you, too," he added. "Although I hardly believe I count." Swallowing, he said, "The point is, your situation is different than mine."

Reyna pursed her lips. She sat down on the sofa, crossing her arms in a challenging manner. "Alright," she said. "Enlighten me. What about your situation was so different than mine?"

Leo shifted his weight from foot to foot, but stopped almost immediately when his foot flared with pain.

"I thought things would be different when I came to Camp Half-Blood," he said abruptly. "I found my father… siblings… some friends…" he swallowed thickly. "But all good things must come to an end. They… they got too busy for me. Once I built that ship and did my job, it was, 'Oh, is Jason's friend still hanging around?' nearly every day. Everyone was too wrapped up in each other to notice that I had no one to talk to, to confide in. I tried not to let it get to me- I really did," he said, eyebrows drawing together. Reyna's expression softened when she saw how lost he look. Leo was staring at the wall, face screwed up in desperation, eyes flickering with sadness.

"But it did," he said quietly. He dropped onto the couch next to Reyna, not looking at her. "They didn't care about me. No one does. Why should they? I had done my job. They were no longer obligated to keep me around. And I wasn't going to force my company on anyone, to make them be my friend." He shrugged helplessly, trying to dismiss his feelings. "So I left," he said simply.

Reyna was silent for a moment, digesting this. Then, she said, "You're an idiot."

Shocked, Leo looked at her, hurt passing across his face. "I-" he started to protest.

"You don't realize what you have, do you?" Reyna asked. Her words lacked their usual sharpness. "They do care about you, Leo. All of them, especially Jason and Piper. Yes, they have an absolutely _crummy _way of showing it, and they were total pricks with you, but you should have taken a different route. You need to learn you can't run away from your problems. You should have talked to them, done something."

"Talk to them?" Leo asked in disbelief.

"Yes, talk," Reyna said, irritation hinting in her words. "You're slow, aren't you? If you had just spoken to them about how you felt, they would have assured you you were totally wrong."

Leo shook his head slowly. "Reyna, I don't think you know-"

"How they feel?" Reyna asked. She smiled flatly at him. "I do, Leo. I may never have experienced it, but I can identify what friendship looks like. And you have it, even if you don't feel like it."

Leo shook his head more firmly. "Reyna, you don't _understand. _I'm… me. Leo Valdez, the boy who sets everything on fire and basically messes things up. Friendship doesn't last long with me. I got too much of my dad for that. Human beings are too complex. I'm better with machines. At least _they _can't ignore me," he finished quietly, staring glumly at the ground.

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Stop feeling _sorry _for yourself, Leo!" she said, raising her voice sharply. "You're never going to be able to get over this if you're constantly putting yourself down. You may not think people can like you, but you're wrong!"

"Oh, yeah?" Leo said, anger coming back to his features. "I can't blame the others for ditching me so quickly. What's so great about me? I'm nothing special; the only reason I was chosen for the prophecy was because I have power over fire, and even that manages to muck things up even when I don't try. I'm annoying and stupid and I can't do anything right!"

"That's not-" Reyna tried to say, the glare dropping off her face.

"I blew up your camp, Reyna!" Leo said hotly. "Or have you forgotten that little mishap?"

"You were possessed," Reyna said quietly.

"That's not the point!" Leo shouted. "I don't know what you're trying to do, Reyna, but I've come to terms with the fact that I'm the outsider! The seventh wheel! I will never find a place among people, and I've long since accepted it!"

As his temper rose, flames burst from his fingertips. Reyna watched them in shock, not having seen it in years, while Leo simply looked irritated.

"Damn!" he said hotly, shaking his fingers to put out the flame. When they were gone, he clenched his fists, breathing heavily. "See?" he shot at Reyna. "I can't even have a conversation without bursting into flame. For once I just-" he froze, shaking slightly, before he dropped his face into his hands.

"I just want to be accepted," he mumbled.

Complete silence echoed in the room. Reyna watched his hunched form, sitting apart from her. He didn't move- he hardly seemed to breath- but his shoulders were tensed. Reyna was scared of how… well… _broken _he looked.

Hesitantly, she scooted closer. Gingerly laying a hand on his shoulder, she spoke.

"You're brave," she said quietly. "You're loyal, and funny, and sweet, and kind, and understanding, and witty, and smart, and dependable. You need to give yourself more credit, Leo. It was only thanks to your brilliance the Seven even had transportation. True, everyone takes you for granted, but that's only because you're always there, ever dependable, for when they need you. That's a good trait to have, Leo. They trust you. I trust you. And you were given your gift for a reason- you're the first child of Hephaestus to be deserving of that gift since 1666, because you're the first who could handle it. Ever heard the saying 'With great power comes great responsibility'? I'm sure if that power were thrust on anyone else, they wouldn't be able to wield it. Yes, it sometimes gets out of control, but everything does, occasionally. Everyone's been a mess without you, Leo, because they never thought you'd go. Maybe that's what they needed- a wake-up call. They can't just take for granted the fact you're always there for everyone. You're brilliant, Leo, even if you don't see it."

Reyna went quiet, her hand still resting on Leo's shoulder. She could feel the warmth of his skin even through his shirt- and she could feel his shoulders shaking slightly from suppressed sobs.

Not thinking, she slid her arm around his shoulders, scooting closer to him. He lifted his head and rested it on her shoulder, eyes squeezed shut. No tears fell, but his face crumpled. Reyna just let him lean on her. He had stayed strong for so long, with no one to care for him. She decided it was time someone stepped in, when he was at his most vulnerable.

They sat like that for a long time, Leo leaning against Reyna, she giving him silent support. Gradually, his shaking subsided, and he breathed evenly again, so evenly that for a moment Reyna feared he had fallen asleep.

Then, he gently pulled away from her. Opening his eyes to look at her, she was surprised to see his eyes red, but completely dry.

He tugged his lips into a halfhearted smile. "I am pretty awesome, aren't I?" he asked weakly.

Reyna let out a chuckle, more out of relief than anything. "And modest, too," she said quietly, grinning back at him.

Leo smiled for another moment before sighing. "Thanks, Reyna," he said quietly. "Just… thanks."

Reyna shrugged. "It was nothing," she murmured.

"No," Leo said, his voice gaining strength. "You didn't need to do that for me."

"I kinda did," Reyna pointed out. "I was sent to get you, wasn't I? Can't return with an emotional wreck by my side."

Leo let out a small laugh. "I'm sorry for blowing up your camp," he said.

"And I'm sorry for blaming you for it," Reyna said.

Leo glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "If you ever get lonely again, come to me," he offered. "We can be alone together."

Reyna raised an eyebrow. "I don't think that's how it's supposed to work," she pointed out.

Leo shrugged. "I was never one for following the rules."

Reyna grinned. Taking a deep breath, she said, "You alright?"

Leo frowned slightly at the floor. "I'm better," he said firmly. "It's nice to finally talk to someone."

"I understand," Reyna nodded. Pushing herself up, she got to her feet. "You ready?" she asked.

Leo hesitated before climbing up as well. Pressing down on his foot, which he guessed must be bruised, he winced slightly, but didn't show it. Squaring his shoulders, he said, "As ready as I'll ever be."


	5. Chapter 5

Reyna threw open the door to the apartment, striding inside. "I'm back," she called in a clipped tone, leading the way inside. When she saw what the others were doing, however, she stopped where she was and stared.

"Ha," Percy said, waggling his fingers in the air. "It's a fish, look."

A ball of water hung in the air in front of him, expertly shaped to look like a fish. By twitching his fingers gently, he was able to maneuver the water-fish through the air, even making it wriggle its tail.

Percy looked quite proud of himself. He glanced over at where Piper was sitting next to him, knees drawn up to her chest. She had rested her chin on her folded knees and looked quite depressed.

"Hey, Pipes, perk up," Percy said, trying to make her feel better. He floated the fish until it stood right in front of her. "Wanna pet my fish?" he asked, shooting her a grin.

Piper shot him an irritated look. "No, Percy," she muttered, frowning at the floor.

Percy blinked. "But…" he trailed off, unsure on what to say.

They were the only two in the living room. The others had disappeared off to somewhere else, waiting for something to happen. After Leo's initial reaction to their presence, none of them really expected Reyna to calm him down enough to drag him back to the apartment. Piper, however, had remained steadfastly in the living room, refusing to leave, and Percy had stayed to try and make her feel better.

That wasn't working well.

Reyna cleared her throat, as she obviously hadn't been heard the first time. Piper glanced over, expression glum. When Percy caught sight of Reyna standing in the doorway, he leapt to his feet. Without support, the fish turned back into a ball of water and crashed to the floor.

"Aw, man," Percy muttered, scowling at the puddle forming on the ground. Sighing, he turned to Reyna, eyebrows drawn. He hesitated before voicing the question everyone would be waiting on. "Did you…?"

"Find him?" Reyna finished for him.

Percy faltered before nodding slowly, watching her closely.

Reyna opened her mouth to report back, but was interrupted by Piper's sharp gasp.

"Leo!" the daughter of Aphrodite exclaimed in disbelief, shooting to her feet as though she had been electrocuted. She stared wide-eyed at Leo, who had come to a halt a few feet behind Reyna and was now staring at his old best friend.

Leo shoved his hands deep into his pockets, looking at her with a blank expression. "Piper," he said quietly.

Reyna stepped to the side, pressing herself against the wall. Percy smoothly slipped away, meandering into the kitchen, where he could watch the encounter from general safety. Piper and Leo stood where they were, gazes locked: Piper's beginning to brim with unshed tears, Leo's suspicious and mistrusting.

Piper opened her mouth and closed it, looking at a loss for what to say. Leo experimentally flexed his toes, glad the pain was ebbing away slightly. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a very quiet voice.

"How are you?" he asked politely.

Finding her voice, Piper sharply shook her head, her movements frantic. "Don't speak to me like that, Leo!" she exclaimed, sounding on the verge of a breakdown.

Leo blinked, taken-aback. "What are you talking about?" he asked, bewildered. There had been nothing wrong with what he had said; or, at least, he didn't think so. Had he unintentionally made her angry? Leo would never understand other's emotions, let alone a girl's.

"Like- like- you're polite, or- like everything's fine!" Piper said, her voice a higher pitch than usual. A tear threatened to spill over onto her cheek, and she impatiently wiped it away, sniffing. "You have no reason to even talk to me after what I did!" she continued. "You should _hate _me!"

Leo still looked rather confused. "Piper-"

"No, Leo, you know what I'm talking about!" Piper exclaimed. "The whole reason you had to leave was because I was a horrible best friend! I should have known how you were feeling, I should have talked to you more, I should have done _something, _but I didn't! I was too caught up in myself to notice you weren't happy! I don't even know why you bothered to be my friend in the first place!" Tears were falling now, and Piper didn't bother to stop them. Leo watched in shock as Piper McLean, one of the strongest girls he knew, the unbreakable daughter of Aphrodite, cracked before him, nearly hysterical with guilt and regret.

"I just- I'm sorry, Leo, I'm so sorry-"

Piper buried her face in her hands, unable to stand Leo's gaze. She felt overwhelmed and positively vulnerable as the knowledge of what she had done crashed down on her. How could she do that to her best friend? No, how could she not even _notice _she was doing it?

Someone touched her shoulder. Peeking through her fingers, she saw Leo standing there, awkwardly patting her shoulder. He looked shocked and a bit frightened by the whole ordeal, and his eyebrows were furrowed with thought.

"Er- no, don't do that, don't cry, Piper," he said quietly. "Come on then, it's alright, just- just think happy thoughts. Like rainbows and… puppies or Jason or whatever it is girls like…"

Piper let out a small sob. She lunged for Leo, throwing her arms around his shoulders, and he was forced to stumble back a few steps, taken by surprise.

"I'm sorry, Leo," she said in a muffled voice, burying her face into his shoulder.

Leo hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, reciprocating the hug. "It's fine," he said softly. "I forgive you, it's alright. I understand, Piper. I'm okay now, you're okay, okay? Just calm down, please…"

After a few minutes she pulled back, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Sorry," she said, shooting him a watery smile. "I just… I didn't know…"

"I know you didn't," Leo said, giving her a hesitant smile. "Trust me, I knew. And I know if you had known you would have done something, but… I guess I didn't exactly give that much thought back then…"

"What _did _you think?" Piper asked, furrowing her eyebrows worriedly.

Leo reached a hand up to rub the back of his neck, scuffing at the floor with the toe of his shoe. "I dunno," he muttered. "I guess- well, I thought you didn't really want me around. Like you didn't need me. And you didn't, not really, but I supposed it was a bit of an over-reaction…"

"A bit?" Reyna muttered, snorting.

"Anyways," Leo continued, shooting her a look, "sorry for, you know- freaking everyone out and whatnot-"

"Not want you around?" asked a voice behind Piper.

The son of Hephaestus looked up in surprise to see Jason standing in the doorway, looking bewildered. "Why would you think we didn't want you around?" he asked, moving into the room to stand next to Piper.

Leo looked taken aback. "Well… I mean, you had Piper, and Percy had Annabeth, and Frank and Hazel, and I was kinda just- there," he finished lamely, feeling awkward now that he was finally getting it out into the open. He hadn't realized talking about his emotions could be this difficult.

Jason just shook his head, looking exasperated. "You're an idiot," he said, rolling his eyes.

Leo frowned at him, not having expected that. "Oh, thanks. That makes me feel _so _much better-"

"How could you think we didn't want you around?" Jason interrupted, a hint of anger lacing his words. "Leo, you're great! Who _wouldn't _want you around?"

"No one wants me around," Leo repeated adamantly.

"That's not true," Jason said sharply. "Stop telling yourself that! It's almost like you _want _it to be true-"

"Of course I don't!" Leo said hotly, raising his voice. The tips of his hair started steaming, but he didn't seem to notice. "You think I _like _being left out, ignored, feeling like no one wants me around? I know you've never experienced it, the great Jason Grace, but it freaking sucks, man! How could you think I want that?!"

"Because it's all you know," Jason said in a low voice, sounding rather dangerous.

Leo was struck dumb. He opened his mouth to say something, perhaps to start yelling again, but Jason continued.

"It's all you've known, and you don't think it could be any different," Jason said, looking at Leo with sad eyes. "I'm sorry if we didn't help, but I thought you knew that things would be different with us. We- we're your family, Leo, and we don't want anything to happen to you. We _care _about you, and we always love your company. Yeah, we were jerks when we were younger, and maybe we did take you for granted. Because you were _always _there for us, no matter what. We just forgot that we needed to be there for you too, and for that I'm sorry. But Leo, you're not any less wanted- like it or not, you're stuck with us for good, even if we do annoy each other sometimes."

He grinned at him. Leo stared at him blankly, still looking hesitant.

"He's right," Frank spoke up, poking his head into the room. He smiled softly at Leo, who looked even more bewildered when he saw who had spoken.

"You're part of our crazy, mixed-up family," Hazel said, giving Leo a toothy grin. "And family doesn't leave anyone behind."

"Will you stop running and come home?" Piper asked in a small voice, looking at Leo hopefully. "Please?"

Leo looked around the room. At Jason and Piper in front of him, watching him with hopeful expressions. Hazel and Frank, each wearing gentle smiles and apologetic expressions. Annabeth, looking in from the office, with her usual calculating gaze. Percy in the kitchen, observing the rest of the room with a furrowed brow, his fingers tapping the counter impatiently. And finally Reyna, out of the way, leaning against the wall and staring at Leo expectantly. She already knew what he was going to say; she had known all along.

Leo turned back to Piper, giving her a small smile. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I think I'm done being alone. It's no fun, anyways."

* * *

**A/N: A bit shorter than usual, but whatever. Crappy ending, oh well. This story is pretty much wrapped up, but I'm going to do an epilogue at the end to sort of tie things off. It's going to be what happened afterwards and how things are after all this is over.**

**Thanks for all the reviews; tell me what you think!**


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Leo, go away!" Piper said with a sharp glare, smacking his hand away.

Leo laughed, withdrawing his hand from where he had been attempting to steal a fry from her plate. "Ah, come on, Pipes," he said with a charming grin. "Just one?"

"You've taken at least ten!" Piper exclaimed, tugging her plate farther from Leo's reach.

"I've already eaten all mine," Leo complained, leaning back in his seat and giving Piper a hopeful pouting face.

"No," she said flatly.

Leo sighed, shifting his gaze to the person across from him. "Hey, Percy, my main man," he said, bobbing his head and smiling.

"Mine," Percy said simply, popping another of his fries into his mouth.

Reyna, sitting beside Leo, gave an exasperated sigh. "Here," she said, pushing her plate towards him. "You can have some of mine."

Leo's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Reyna!" he said happily, reaching for a fry. He winked at the daughter of Bellona, and she simply rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. Leo looked victoriously around the table. "And that, my dear friends, is why Reyna is my favorite."

"Shut up!" Piper said with a giggle, throwing a fry at him.

"Please," Jason said, running a hand through his hair. "Everyone knows I'm your favorite."

Percy snorted into his fries. "Sure," he muttered under his breath.

Jason shot him a look. "Excuse me, Jackson?"

"Oh, look at this one," Annabeth told Hazel, jabbing her finger at the magazine. The two girls were sitting very close together, completely oblivious of the conversation going on around them. "It's a lovely shade of blue."

"I like that one," Percy spoke up, not even looking at the page.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You didn't even look, Percy," she said in exasperation.

Percy shrugged. Jabbing the air with a fry, he declared, "All I know is my son-"

"Or daughter," Hazel chimed in.

"-shall be clothed in blue, the best color out there!" Percy finished proudly, looking pleased with himself.

"Get the orange one," Frank spoke up.

"Hey!"

"Isn't it a bit soon to be looking for baby clothes?" Leo asked, helping himself to more of Reyna's fries. "It's not going to pop out for another few months, isn't it?"

"It's never too early!" Hazel exclaimed, grinning broadly at the idea of the baby coming in only a few months.

Annabeth rested a hand on her stomach, which was beginning to bulge. She looked over at Percy with a smile, and the soon-to-be father exchanged it, eyes lighting up with happiness as they always did when he looked at his wife.

"And what about you two?" Leo asked, turning to Piper and Jason. He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Are you going to start picking out baby names soon as well?"

Piper blushed a brilliant shade of red. "Oh, stop it," she murmured, glancing over at Jason out of the corner of her eye. The son of Jupiter was staring at his plate, an indecisive look on his face.

"Actually… we've been meaning to tell you guys something," he said in a heavy voice, finally looking up.

The table went quiet. Annabeth and Hazel looked up, curious, while Percy distractedly continued on his fries, half his attention on what Jason was saying.

He looked over at Piper, a slightly worried expression on his face. She just shrugged, looking nervous.

"Oh my gods," Leo said into the silence. "Please don't tell me she's pregnant. It was just a joke, I swear-"

"I'm not pregnant, Leo," Piper sighed.

Leo blinked, taken-aback. "Oh. Well, good. You guys didn't break up, did you? Because I really don't want to deal with-"

"We're not breaking up!" Jason said in exasperation, looking horrified at the prospect.

Leo wrinkled his nose. "Alright, I give up. What is it, then?"

Piper hesitated for a second more before saying, "We're getting married."

The table exploded with sound. Hazel squealed excitedly, hurriedly standing and rushing over to give Piper a hug. Percy looked up from his food in surprise, and Annabeth grabbed his hand, smiling broadly. Frank smiled knowingly and leaned back in his seat, nodding at Jason in congratulations. Leo leaned over to clap Jason on the back, a huge grin lacing his face. "Congrats, man!" he exclaimed.

Jason smiled at him, looking relieved. "Thanks," he said genuinely.

Piper excused herself from Hazel's squealing to turn to Leo. Smiling, she threw her arms around his neck, wrapping him in a hug. "He proposed last night," she said softly into his ear. "It was so exciting."

"I know, Pipes," Leo said happily, returning the hug. "I'm happy for you two."

"You'll be the best man, of course," Jason told Leo casually, reaching for his soda.

Leo froze, eyes widening in surprise. "_Me_?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, you," Jason said, taking a sip of his drink. "I need this wedding to be perfect, and what's better than having my best friend be the best man?"

"It's going to be amazing," Piper said happily, pulling back to grin at Leo, who still looked rather dazed.

Blinking, Leo glanced over his shoulder at Reyna. She was watching the scene with a light smile, hanging back from the celebration. When she caught Leo looking at her she raised her eyebrows, her smile widening ever so slightly. She nodded once, never breaking eye contact with him, a knowing expression on her face.

"Yeah," Leo said quietly, never looking away from Reyna. His smile grew so wide he felt his cheeks burning. He was going to be the best man at the wedding. They had chosen _him_, of all people.

Who would tell that only a little more than a year ago he'd been on the run, hiding from the people he called his friends? And all because he felt unwanted. He had been foolish, but none of that mattered now.

Because Leo was completely content and happy, and his best friends were getting married.

"Yeah," he repeated, staring into Reyna's dark eyes. "It's amazing."


End file.
